Premium News
Kemi Badenoch, leader of the UK Conservative Party, has condemned Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision to recognise Palestinian statehood.
In a post on X, the Tory leader described the policy as an “absolutely disastrous” decision made by the ruling Labour Party under the prime minister’s leadership.
The Conservative Party leader stated that the administration has only made this decision to distract attention from its inability to resolve the country’s immigration crisis.
Ms Badenoch also said that the UK was likely to regret recognising the statehood of Palestine in the future.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer had formally announced the United Kingdom’s decision to recognise Palestine as an independent state.
Mr Starmer had said the decision was intended to maintain prospects for peace while reaffirming the UK’s commitment to securing the release of Israeli hostages.
“In the face of the growing horror in the Middle East, we are acting to keep alive the possibility of peace and of a two-state solution,” he stated.
However, Ms Badenoch, reacting to this development, said the UK’s recognition of Palestinian statehood does not change the welfare of “hostages languishing in Gaza and does nothing to stop the suffering of innocent people caught in this war.”
“We will all rue the day this decision was made. Rewarding terrorism with no conditions whatsoever put in place for Hamas,” she wrote on X.
“It is because Labour cannot fix the big problems in our society that they focus on discredited student union campaigns to appease the hard left.
“They cannot fix the NHS, so they push assisted suicide. They cannot create jobs for young people, so they give them the right to vote at 16. They cannot sort out immigration, but they will recognise Palestine instead. And so on,” she stated.
With its stance on Sunday, the UK has now joined the growing list of countries that recognise Palestine.
So far, at least 142 of the 193 UN member states have already recognised or have pledged to recognise Palestine.
Canada and Australia have also formally recognised Palestinian statehood before the commencement of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
At the event, the question of Palestinian sovereignty after decades of occupation is expected to be a central focus.
